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Quarterback Asher Zubich kick-started Mountain Iron-Buhl's unstoppable offense on Friday, as two rushing touchdowns in the first half began a run of 34 straight points in his team's successful defense of the Section 7-IX Man championship, 56-24 over Cherry in Aurora.
Cherry scored first after Noah Asuma escaped for a 66-yard touchdown catch-and-run, then recovered a fumble on MI-B's next possession. However, Zubich got the undefeated Rangers going, scoring from 7 yards out late in the first quarter to tie the game, then adding a 4-yard touchdown run and subsequent two-point conversion on the next offensive possession.
The Tigers then fumbled the ensuing kickoff, allowing a short field for Zubich to find Braylen Keith on a 10-yard pass play. The two connected on the following drive from 31-yards out for a 26-6 lead.
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Damian Tapio collected an interception on the next Cherry drive and was rewarded with a red-zone touch and 7-yard rush TD. Zubich and Keith connected for the following deuce to complete a 28-point MI-B quarter.
Zubich added two more rush TDs and one more pass TD to Keith in the second half as the Rangers claimed a fourth consecutive trip to the state tournament.
The 10-0 Rangers will face Section 8-IX champions Kittson County Central (11-0) in a state quarterfinal on Thursday night in Moorhead.
Section 5-IX-Man
Ogilvie 50, South Ridge 8
The Panthers got a passing touchdown from Benjamin Pretasky to Austin Josephson, but by then the damage was done for South Ridge in Friday's Section 5-IX Man championship game at Esko.
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Ogilvie, the defending section champions, hung 30 first-half points on the board to stake its claim for another trip to state before Petrasky and Josephson connected. The Lions won the first meeting between the schools 56-6 in Culver on Sept. 16.
The Lions, who have won seven straight (all by at least 36 points) after starting their season 0-2 with losses to Cherry and Mountain Iron-Buhl, will meet Section 6 champions Fertile-Beltrami in a state quarterfinal on Thursday night in Grand Rapids.
